Sunday, April 24, 2016

The Street View function on Google Maps is incredibly useful, and many of us have even seen one of the company cars cruising through the neighborhood, capturing the thousands of shots necessary to make this feature operate. However, for spots that are a little more difficult to access with an automobile, Google has come up with a way to continue on its quest to document the globe: strap a special backpack, complete with a 360-degree view camera, onto an adventurous traveler and send them on their way. In Thailand, tri-athlete Panupong Luangsa-ard is the man to thank for 150 photographs showing places of interest all over the country that were recently added to the Google database.

For the past two years, Panupong has trekked through the Land of a Thousand Smiles, criss-crossing over rice fields, beaches, and forests to get some amazing shots. According to a Google representative: "While collecting just the tea plantations and strawberry fields, he burned through four pairs of shoes." The daring Thai athlete-turned-photographer traveled across 500,000 km of the country (using various modes of transportation) and walked about 500km of the journey on foot, all with the Trekker pack safely perched on his back.

This hi-tech accessory weighs in at 18kg and sticks out about 2 ft over the top of the user’s shoulders in order to capture panoramic views. If you’re interested in donning the Trekker backpack and traveling to some exotic corners of the Earth, Google accepts applications here.

Knitting and sitting in a rocking chair are both relaxing activities that designers Damien Ludi and Colin Peillex have combined into one innovative, low-tech piece of furniture. Aptly dubbed Rocking Knit, this multitasking chair uses kinetic energy, produced from the rocker’s gliding motion, to knit a winter hat as you gently sway back and forth.

The chair both resembles and is used as a typical wooden glider. As you settle onto the bench, however, the machinery above goes to work. The gears start turning and draw the giant spool of yarn up and into the knitting round. With enough relaxation time, you’ll have a red cap that Steve Zissou would be proud to wear.

These historical composites layered over modern day scenes showcase the timeless postcard perfection and rich narratives that flow through the streets of Paris. By combining past and present portraits of the famous French capital, art directorJulien Knezshowcases just how many changes the City of Lights has seen over the past 100 years.

After receiving access to the Parigramme photo archives, Knez scouted out matching present-day locations to create his distinctive images. With a little editing, he was able to insert history into contemporary settings and, voila, a window into the past was opened. The vintage pictures date anywhere from the 1870s to the late 1960s, and capture some of the extraordinary political, social, and cultural events that have occurred in the beloved city of Paris.

The following images have been selected from Knez's latest book Paris: Fenêtres sur l'Histoire and his clever visuals make the history of this vibrant city come alive.

Above: Tour Eiffel, 1900

Notre Dame, 1944

A joyful Liberation scene on August 25, 1944.

La Seine. Notre-Dame, 1930

Le Grand Palais, 1944

Rue Gay-Lussac, 1968

Le Moulin Rouge, 1900

The Moulin Rouge, which opened in 1889, drew clientele from all over, all eager to see the French cancan.

Place de l’Opéra, 1940

June 23, 1940, the day after Germany established occupation of France, Hitler made a lightning trip to Paris. His two hour tour of the capital included Notre Dame, Invalides, the Arc de Triomphe and, as seen here, the Opera.

Rue du Faubourg-du-Temple, 1871

Quai de Conti, 1900

Passersby at the bouquinistes, or riverside booksellers.

Hôtel-de-Ville, 1944

Two friends celebrate the liberation of Paris at Place de l'Hôtel de Ville, in August 1944.

Place Vendôme, 1871

“Odéon” Station (Métro), 1910

Passengers traveled by boat when the metro tracks were flooded in January 1910.

Arc de Triomphe, 1909

The now-defunct double-decker trams dropped passengers off next to the Arc de Triomphe.

Though the products are practical and fully functional, they stand alone as unique works of art, nodding to the delicate craftsmanship of the past by way of a modern manufacturing technique. You can check them out in the Sarah Mimo Manufactory Etsy shop.

Victoria Yore and Terrence Drysdale share a magic-infused perspective through their fine art photography. The model-photographer duo are traveling the world, collecting shots of the magnificent, remote, and dramatic landscapes they encounter. Their photo series, Follow Me Away, is quickly going viral as the pair continue to produce whimsical and often fantastical photographs that appear to be plucked straight from a fairy tale.

According to Yore, the entire project is progressing very organically. The shots are not staged, meaning the poses are unplanned and the lighting and settings are unaltered—the pair simply go out with a camera and a bag of dresses to see what they can come up with. Natural hair and make-up complement the carefree sentiment of the images, completing the model's look of effortless beauty, as though she were a princess breaking free or a wood nymph running through the forest.

So far, Yore and Drysdale have shot in 9 countries around Europe and 5 US states. Currently in Austria, they continue to update their blog with images and stories about their ongoing adventure.